Every harvest begins with a seed
Seed Lab
Seed Lab introduces children, families, and communities to the wonder of growing through one simple idea: everything begins with a seed. Through hands-on learning, participants discover how seeds grow, explore the plant life cycle, and learn that anyone can become a grower, no farm or garden required.
Bring your own SIP Cup
The SIP Cup experience
SIP stands for Self-Irrigation Planter.
During the Seed Lab shared experience, every participant builds their own simple SIP Cup growing system and plants a seed to begin growing at home, in the classroom, or wherever their growing journey continues.
Through the SIP Cup experience, participants:
- 1Build their own self-irrigating planter cup.
- 2Plant and properly position their seed.
- 3Discover how water moves from the reservoir to the growing media.
- 4Learn what seeds need to germinate.
- 5Observe roots, shoots, and early plant development.
- 6Practice caring for a living plant.
- 7Take their growing project home and continue the experience.
Take home
Every participant leaves with their own planted SIP Cup and the knowledge to care for it.
Small seeds. Big lessons.
What you'll discover
Seed Lab uses the SIP Cup as an entry point into the science and responsibility of growing. Participants are introduced to:
Seeds & Germination
What is inside a seed, and what causes it to begin growing?
Roots & Plant Growth
What happens beneath the soil before we see growth above it?
Water & Moisture
How do plants access the water they need?
Light Care
What does a young plant need from us after it sprouts?
The Seed Lab Kit
Everything you need to grow the experience
Seed Lab resources can include:
SIP Cup Activity Kit
The materials needed for participants to construct and plant their own Self-Irrigation Planter Cup.
Storytime + Instructional Children's Book
An illustrated Farmer Fredo story that introduces the growing process through storytelling and doubles as a kid-friendly instructional guide.
Activity & Learning Materials
Age-appropriate worksheets, coloring activities, observation pages, and growing resources that reinforce what participants learn.
Digital Learning Resources
Short instructional and educational videos that allow participants, teachers, and families to revisit the experience after the workshop.
Grow-at-Home Guidance
Simple instructions for caring for the SIP Cup, observing growth, and knowing what to do as the seedling gets bigger.
Watch + Grow
Seed Lab video library
Meet the Seed Lab
A 60-90 second Farmer Fredo introduction
Video coming soon
Build Your SIP Cup
Step-by-step construction
Video coming soon
Plant Your Seed
Planting depth, moisture, and placement
Video coming soon
Explore new possibilities
Next stop: Water Lab
Water Lab explores water, nutrients, roots, and simple hydroponic growing systems through hands-on discovery.
Visit Water Lab